


(Not Too Late to) Take it Back

by AnonymousSpacePrince



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: (like, Angst, Break Up, Drunk Texting, Established Relationship, Fluff, Getting Back Together, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Texting, a lot)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-10 04:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10428864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymousSpacePrince/pseuds/AnonymousSpacePrince
Summary: Derek has his chill exterior in place. Will knows by now that it's an act, but it still makes it easier to look at him. "If this is the end," Derek says solemnly, "just kiss me one more time, so I can remember what it feels like."Dex breaks things off with Nursey, and Nursey can't understand why. They try to discuss it over coffee, but end up standing in the rain.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I briefly slipped from the WIP tour, but _hey_ , at least I finished this up in two quick goes instead of adding it to the list of things I was supposed to be working on instead of starting something new. So... could've been worse.
> 
> Anyway, I saw a picture on Tumblr of texts where one person was like "Good morning baby" and then "Shit. I forgot we broke up last night" and my mind went 'hey you know what to do.' So I did. It turned out kinda great, I think. I hope you enjoy!

**Nurse**  
(07:18) _Good morning baby_  
  
**Will**  
(07:19) _seriously?_  
  
**Nurse**  
(07:19) _Shit. Sorry._  
(07:19) _Forgot we broke up last night._

  
...

  
**The night before**  
  
    "I love your fingers," Derek says, balancing his fingertips against Will's. After a second, he slides them just to the side to intertwine their fingers. "They fit so perfectly between mine."  
  
    "You're such a sap," Will says, with a familiarly fond tone.  
  
    "You love it."  
  
    "Yeah," Will says, quieter than he should.  
  
    "Are you okay, babe? You seem kinda-"  
  
    "I can't do this anymore," Will blurts.  
  
    Derek freezes. "What? What do you mean? Please do not mean what I think you mean."  
  
    "I'm sorry," Will says carefully. He extricates his hand from Derek's and sits up. He pulls on his shirt, mostly just so he doesn't have to look Derek in the eye yet. "I don't want to hurt you, seriously. It's on me."  
  
    "Are you... you're breaking up with me?"  
  
    Will can hear the ache in Derek's voice. He can hear his mother's voice in his head-- _don't look into the sun, Billy, it'll burn your eyes_ , and it feels oddly appropriate now. "I- yeah. I'm sorry," he whispers, and then tries to erase the memory of his own voice just barely breaking.  
  
    Derek reaches for him, trying to bridge an understanding, and Will just can't. He can't handle it, the feeling of Derek's fingertips on him, so he gets up out of bed and looks for his pants.  
  
    "Just tell me why," Derek says softly. "Please."  
  
    "I just can't do this anymore," Will tells him. It's all he can stomach saying. He finds his pants, the black sweatpants that Derek loves to steal. After pulling them on, he looks at Derek. He's sitting up now, sheets draped over his lap and eyes shiny in a way that reads more dazed than teary. "I'm sorry," Will says again. He is, so, so sorry. "I'm gonna go now."  
  
    Will slips his shoes on-- they're just a plain pair of Adidas sandals. He hesitates facing the door. "Please don't do this," Derek says behind him, words as soft as a whisper though they aren't one.  
  
    "Please don't ask me not to," Will says back, because if Derek begs him to stay, there's no way he'll gather the strength to walk out that door. Will hears Derek get up, and then his hand is on his shoulder, and Will lets himself be turned.  
  
    Derek has his chill exterior in place. Will knows by now that it's an act, but it still makes it easier to look at him. "If this is the end," Derek says solemnly, "just kiss me one more time, so I can remember what it feels like."  
  
    Will blinks slowly. He wants to, so badly, and that's why he can't. "Derek, I can't do that," he says. "If I do that, it'll make me want to change my mind."  
  
    Derek's face crumbles a little before he replaces it with a small, wounded smile. "All the more reason," he tries.  
  
    "I'm sorry," Will whispers, once more. He turns to the door, but stops. Derek's hand is still on his shoulder and he can't stand to leave him like that, so Will turns around and presses a quick kiss to Derek's cheek. He wants to linger so badly, but he _can't_ , he just can't, so he pulls away after two beats of his pounding heart.  
  
    Will pulls the door closed in a rush behind him, hears the sound echo down the quiet hall. He makes it all the way out of the building before the emotions overwhelm him, and then he punches a tree and yells wordlessly. It doesn't help ease the tight, aching coils around his heart, but it stops tears from welling up in his eyes.

  
...

  
**Will**  
(07:21) _i'm sorry_  
  
**Nurse**  
(07:21) _Don't be._  
(07:22) _I'm the one who fucked up._  
  
**Will**  
(07:23) _you really think either of us are supposed to believe that?_

  
...

  
**One week later**  
  
**Nursey**  
(23:41) _ayyyy_  
  
**Will**  
(23:42) _hi?_  
  
**Nursey**  
(23:42) _suuuuo_  
(23:43) _p*_  
  
**Will**  
(23:45) _working on a cs assignment_  
(23:45) _why?_  
  
**Nursey**  
(23:45) _jussssst wonderin_  
(23:45) _lmap im a snake_  
  
**Will**  
(23:48) _you're a mess, more like_  
  
**Nursey**  
(23:49) _youre not wring_

 **Will**  
(23:50) _??_  
  
**Nursey**  
(23:50) _i miss you_  
(23:50) _like so mych_  
(23:50) _wvwn tho we see each other a lot_  
(23:50) _i_ _miss kissing you_  
(23:51) _touching yiu_  
(23:51) _l_ _oving you_  
  
**Will**  
(23:51) _D_ _erek, stop._  
(23:52) _you're drunk._  
  
**Nursey**  
(23:52) _that is an undeniable truth_  
(23:52) _but it do E's snt matter_  
(23:54) _come home, Will_  
  
**Will**  
(23:57) _i am home, Nursey._  
  
**Nursey**  
(23:57) _i want your home to be wherever I am_  
  
_Yeah_ , Will thinks. _I want that too_. He shoves his phone under his pillow.  
  
...  
  
**The next morning**  
  
**Chowder**  
(09:12) _hey dex_  
(09:12) _listen_  
(09:13) _I don't wanna make things awkward_  
(09:13) _I don't even know if I should be sharing this_  
(09:13) _bc it seems really personal_  
(09:14) _but it's about you, so_  
  
**Dex!!!**  
(09:17) _what's up, Chowder?_  
  
**Chowder**  
(09:18) _last night_  
(09:18) _after the kegster_  
(09:18) _nursey was really drunk_  
(09:19) _yknow?_  
(09:19) _and he ended up in my room_  
(09:19) _just like_  
(09:19) _sobbing_  
(09:19) _about you_  
(09:19) _at one point I thought he might throw up_  
(09:20) _bc you know how u can cry so hard you make yourself sick?_  
(09:20) _he was crying like that_  
  
**Dex!!!**  
(09:20) _I wish you wouldn't tell me stuff like this_  
  
**Chowder**  
(09:21) _i'm sorry!!!_  
(09:21) _i'm not trying to get in the middle_  
(09:21) _you know i love you both_  
(09:22) _it's just_  
(09:22) _i've never seen him that emotional_  
(09:22) _let alone that upset_  
(09:23) _it scared me_  
  
  
**Nursey**  
(10:32) _Sorry about last night._  
  
**Will**  
(10:46) _I was in class_  
(10:47) _it's okay. You were drunk, don't worry about it_  
  
**Nursey**  
(10:47) _I shouldn't have said all that._  
(10:47) _It was stupid._  
  
**Will**  
(10:48) _maybe we should talk._  
(10:49) _I should explain_  
  
**Nursey**  
(10:49) _It's okay._  
(10:49) _You don't owe me anything._  
  
**Will**  
(10:50) _oh_  
  
**Nursey**  
(10:59) _No, actually, you do._  
(10:59) _You owe me an explanation._  
(11:00) _I deserve that much._  
  
**Will**  
(11:02) _yeah, you do._  
(11:03) _can you meet me at annie's in like 10 minutes?_  
  
**Nursey**  
(11:03) _I'm already at Annie's_  
  
**Will**  
(11:03) _oh, ok_  
(11:04) _I'll be there in 10, then_  
  
**Nursey**  
(11:04) _Kay, I'll order you a coffee. Usual?_  
  
**Will**  
(11:05) _sure._  
  
  
    By the time Will enters Annie's, the nervous fluttering in his stomach is almost nauseating. He's afraid of this conversation, because he knows he has to be vulnerable.  
  
    Derek's sitting at his usual single booth by the far window. Will makes his way over and sits in the seat across from him. Derek slides his coffee over and gives him a smile that is entirely for show. Will can see the emptiness in his eyes.  
  
    "I'm sorry," Will says, looking down at the coffee cup in his hands.  
  
    "Please stop telling me that," Derek responds. "Just tell me why."  
  
    "I..." He has to say it, but he can't choke the words out.  
  
    "Was I not good enough for you?" Derek asks softly. Will looks up, and Derek's looking down at the table. His shoulders are tightened up.  
  
    "What? No, Derek, that's not it at all," Will says. Derek looks up.  
  
    "Then _what_? Because for the life of me, I can't figure out what would've made you leave. I thought things were going so well." The last sentence is soft again.  
  
    "They were," Will agrees.  
  
    "Then why did we break up? Why did you break up with me?"  
  
    "I... Fuck. I can't do this," Will says.  
  
    "You can't...?"  
  
    "I just _can't_  sit here and tell you what you need to hear. I can't make myself say it. I just _can't_ , I'm sorry." Will squeezes his cup a little too hard and the lid pops off. He eases his grip and stares resolutely at the creamy coffee.  
  
    "Great," Derek says. "Thanks for nothing. Enjoy your coffee."  
  
    Will's eyes follow Derek as he gets up. "Derek, hey, wait," he tries, but Derek's already walking out. "Fuck."  
  
    Will gets up, abandoning his untouched coffee, and follows in Derek's wake. He's already fucked this up too much. If he lets Derek walk away now, there will be no salvaging anything. Outside, Derek's a few steps ahead of Will. The sidewalk is usually more crowded around lunchtime, but Will figures its eerie emptiness has something to do with the looming storm clouds that have darkened the whole scene.  
  
    "Derek, hey," Will says. Derek keeps walking. Will growls and jogs a few steps to catch up. He grabs Derek by the shoulder and turns him, firmly but not roughly. There are fresh tears on Derek's cheeks, and Will stumbles back half a step at the sight. This isn't what he wanted at all. "I'm sor- I didn't want to hurt you," Will says quietly.  
  
    "Okay? But you did."  
  
    "I see that, and I hate it. I didn't... I didn't want this to go like this."  
  
    "You've had control over this whole situation, Will. Everything that's happened since last week has been all on you."  
  
    "I know, I know. I don't know what I'm doing, okay? I don't know how to handle this."  
  
    "Why-" Derek pauses as another tear spills down his cheek. Will can't deal with that, so he reaches out and brushes it away with his thumb. He can't help the way his hand lingers on Derek's cheek. He can't make himself pull it away. Derek places his hand over Will's; holds it carefully in place. "Why did you break up with me?"  
  
    "Because you deserve better," Will chokes out, finally.  
  
    Derek's eyebrows raise. He steps away from Will's touch, and Will drops his hand. "What's that supposed to mean?" Derek asks.  
  
    "It means exactly what it sounds like," Will says. "You've been too good for me since our first conversation. Hell, you were _born_  too good for me! And I've been sitting here falling in love with you for two months and I know you were too, and I couldn't do that to you! One of us was bound to get hurt if we kept going. Either you would realize that you were too good for me, and leave, and I'd be hurt, or you wouldn't, and you'd get stuck with me, and you'd be hurt. I just figured if I broke it off now, it would save us both a lot of pain in the future."  
  
    Derek's eyes are wide. He's visibly shocked, and Will doesn't know what's coming next. "Are you fucking stupid? You have to be stupid. Goddammit Will, you're an idiot."  
  
    "Exactly."  
  
    "I'm not too good for you! Jesus, why would you even think that?"  
  
    "Because you're so sweet and romantic, and you're good with words and feelings, and you're so incredible and devoted and you know exactly who you want to be. You have it all figured out, okay? And you're just better than me in every way and you deserve someone who knows how to be like you. You deserve someone who can write you poetry and tell you how the stars look fucking dim in comparison to your smile.  
  
    "You deserve someone who came from great things and is going to greater things, not some dumb kid from small-town Maine who's destined to go right back."  
  
    "W-"  
  
    "No, listen! You create what you want to see in the world, and you make a difference, and all I know how to do is recreate the shit other people figured out long before me. Coding, fixing broken parts, it's all been done before. I'm not inventing new and beautiful ways to tell people how much love they deserve. I'm nothing special, and you deserve _everything_  special, motherfucker, and I'd rather break my own heart than yours!"  
  
    "Will, you absolute moron."  
  
    "Yeah, I know."  
  
    "Hush. You got to talk; now it's my turn."  
  
    Will bites his lip and nods.  
  
    "Will, I've never been too good for you. Ever. If anything, you're better than me, but what I _love_  about us is that we're not. Not really. We're stupidly different, but never better. You're so good at what you do, and I'm pretty good at what I do, in my opinion, and they're both so important. You make things work, Will. You bring things to life that might otherwise be given up on. You do what is exhausting and rewarding.  
  
    "It's not poetry, sure, but it is beautiful. The whole Haus probably would've fallen apart by now without you. You're keeping it _alive_ , and there's nothing better than that. You make things work, and I make things art, and we work so well together because of it. I write you poetry that you pretend not to love, but I see the way you relax when I read it to you. I see the way you smile even though you don't always understand what it's supposed to mean.  
  
    "And you? You took my whole bed apart and put it back together the right way because you knew the squeaky frame kept me awake sometimes. You also keep me grounded. When I get too far off in my head, you're the one who brings me back to reality and reminds me that there are still things that matter in the world. I am _not_ too good for you; the truth is, I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
    "Derek..."  
  
    "Don't do this, okay? Don't make me have to get over you. Don't make me spend the rest of my life wondering. Don't trick yourself into thinking you're not worth every incredible word that hasn't been invented yet." Derek reaches out, pulls Will softly to him by the arm. Will lets himself be pulled into Derek's space. "I know you're trying to avoid one of us getting hurt, but all you're doing is making sure we both do. I've never been happier than I am with you."  
  
    "Me either."  
  
    "Then take it back; it's not too late." Derek rests a gentle hand on Will's cheek. "I'd rather risk getting hurt in the future if it means there's also a chance that I never have to lose you."  
  
    "Jesus Christ, Derek."  
  
    "Please?"  
  
    "Yes, of course, absolutely. I'm sor-" Will gets cut off by Derek kissing him, and he's _so_ fine with it. He wraps his arms around Derek's waist, holding him close as he kisses back. It's slow and soft, new and familiar all at once. Will goes to pull back a few times, but he leans in for another kiss every time. He can't believe he almost let Derek go. He can't bring himself to back away just yet.  
  
    After a moment, the clouds open up and rain starts pouring down on them. Derek pulls away and gasps because of the rain, but Will moves his hands to Derek's neck and pulls him back in. Derek grins against Will's lips and happily meets every kiss he presses there.  
  
    Will finally pulls away after another moment, just enough to see Derek's face. He's smiling so genuinely, so tenderly, and Will wants the moment to last forever.  
  
    "I love you, Derek."  
  
    Derek's smile grows, and Will would take his soaking phone out of his soaking pocket and take a photo if it wouldn't break the scene.  
  
    "I love you too, Will."  
  
    "Good," Will says, and then he kisses Derek again, because how could he not?  
  
    "You know, this scene is such a fucking movie cliché, I can't even believe it."  
  
    "It's apropos, since you're such an artsy fuck."  
  
    Derek laughs. "Oh, whatever, you love it."  
  
    "I do," Will agrees. He kisses Derek's jaw, his cheek, then his lips, then he wraps his arms around Derek's waist and hugs him tightly. "I really do."


End file.
